Imprisoned II: Sacrifice
by Jedi General
Summary: The sequel to Imprisoned: A Code Lyoko Story. William discovers the secret.
1. Chapter 1

**Imprisoned II: Sacrifice**

**Chapter 1**

It was 12:32 AM, and William Dunbar was sleeping soundly in his bed dreaming of Yumi. Suddenly he sat up, wide awake. Ulrich. Ulrich had also been in William's dreams lately. Whenever William dreamed about Yumi, Ulrich always seemed to suddenly appear out of nowhere, causing William to wake up in a cold sweat. Oh, how William despised Ulrich. William knew that Yumi liked Ulrich, and it bugged him that she and Ulrich never seemed to do anything about it. William laid his head back unto his pillow as he thought: _I can't do anything about it right now. I need to get some sleep. Maybe I'll talk to Yumi tomorrow_. William closed his eyes and slept until morning.

In the morning, Yumi arrived as usual she headed towards the vending machines. Nobody was there. _Oh, I'm early for a change_, she thought. _Or, everyone is just late. _Yumi chuckled and bought herself a cup of hot chocolate. She noticed William was standing next to a tree, staring at her. Yumi blushed and quickly looked away as William began to walk in her direction.

"Hi, Yumi," said William softly. "Where are your friends?"

"Oh, they aren't here yet, they must be running late," said Yumi.

"Good, I wanted to talk to you."

"About what?"

"About us."

"Us? W-what do you mean?" Yumi began to feel uneasy.

William smiled. "I think you know what I mean. I was wondering, are you doing anything after school?"

"No, why?"

"I thought maybe we could do something together later."

"Like what?" Yumi could feel the color rising in her cheeks.

"Well, you know, see a movie or something."

"You mean, like a date?" Yumi's voice quivered as she said this.

"Yes, that's what I mean." William took hold of Yumi's right hand, and Yumi smiled. Her cheeks were very red now.

"I'd love to, but-"

"But what?" William interrupted her.

"I-I-"

"It's Ulrich, isn't it?"

Yumi placed her hand on top of William's, but quickly jerked both hands away. Ulrich was standing right behind William.

"Ulrich, it-it's not what it looks like!"

Ulrich just turned and headed for class. Yumi was about to say something when the bell rang. She turned and picked up her bag, and turned to back to face William. "We can talk about this later," she said. "We'd better get to class."

"Fair enough," said William quietly. He took Yumi's hand as they walked to class.

In Mrs. Hertz's class, Ulrich was having a hard time paying attention. He just gazed out the window. Yumi was on his mind. He remembered what William had said that day when he had made a fool of himself at the pool (Marabounta). William had said this: "Go and talk to Yumi, from the heart. Or else, I will." Had the time come? Had William done what he said he would do? Ulrich lost touch with reality.

"Ulrich? Ulrich!" said Mrs. Hertz.

Ulrich woke up from his daze. "Huh? What?"

"Since, you've been paying such great attention; could you please tell the class what Sir Isaac Newton discovered as a result of an apple hitting him on the head?"

"Uh, that it hurts?"

The class started to laugh, and Ulrich slouched in his chair, coving his face with a science book. Odd slapped Ulrich on the back and said, "Way to state the obvious, Ulrich!" Odd nearly fell out of his chair from laughing.

The bell rang, and the class instantly began to file out of the classroom.

Mrs. Hertz waved a piece of paper in the air. "Class, don't forget, there is a quiz tomorrow!" No one paid any attention to her.


	2. Chapter 2

**Imprisoned II: Sacrifice**

**Chapter 2**

Ulrich's mind was made up. He was going to talk to Yumi. As he made his way towards the courtyard, he ran into Sissi. _Oh, great_ he thought, _just what I needed_.

"Hello, Ulrich dear," said Sissi. "I've got something for you." Ulrich rolled his eyes, hoping that Sissi wouldn't notice.

"I saw that!" snapped Sissi. She smiled and put a small package into his hand.

"What's this?"

"You'll see. Just open it!" Ulrich began to slowly tear the paper off, but Yumi walked by.

"Thanks, Sissi. I'll have to open it later." Ulrich gave the package back to Sissi and headed off after Yumi, leaving a bewildered Sissi just standing there.

"Oh, hey, Ulrich," said Yumi with a smile.

"Yumi, we need to talk."

Yumi stopped dead in her tracks. "Is this about what happened this morning between me and William? Because I assure you, nothing is going on!"

"That's just it. You say nothing is going on, but I don't think you mean it." Ulrich took a deep breath and opened his mouth to say something, when William interrupted.

"Hey Yumi! So, what do you say?"

"About what?" replied Yumi.

"Oh, you know, doing something together after school, remember?" William noticed Ulrich. "Oh, hello, Ulrich. I didn't see you there. Is it okay if I talk to Yumi alone for a little bit?"

Ulrich didn't answer and lowered his head.

"I'm assuming that means yes?" asked William.

Still no answer, Ulrich just stared at the ground.

"Fine, be that way. Let's go, Yumi."

"Later, Ulrich," said Yumi. Ulrich just stared as Yumi and William walked off to the other side of the courtyard. He turned around and found that Sissi was still standing there. He sighed and walked towards her.

"William, I've thought it through," said Yumi. "I don't want to go out with you tonight."

"Why? You said you didn't have any plans." replied William.

"Yeah, I know. I just don't feel like going out tonight. Besides, I don't think my parents will approve." Yumi glanced back over her shoulder. Ulrich was gone.

"Why, not? Don't you like me?" William asked this with a hurt look in his eyes.

"Sure I like you! But-" Yumi couldn't bring her self to say it.

"So, do you just want to be friends?"

"At least for now." Yumi looked down and closed her eyes.

William put a hand under her chin, raised her head and looked deep into her eyes as he put his other hand on her cheek. "Yumi, listen to me," he said.

Yumi gazed into William's sad, dark eyes for a second before backing out of his reach. "Please don't do that," she said. It makes me uncomfortable."

"Sorry. It's just that-" he took hold of Yumi's hand.

"I know. I'm really sorry." Her hand slid from William's grip as she turned and walked away. William just stared, and when Yumi rounded a corner, a tear ran down the left side of his face. William turned and ran off into the distance.


	3. Chapter 3

**Imprisoned II: Sacrifice**

**Chapter 3**

Yumi found her way to the cafeteria to meet up with her friends for lunch. She ran into Ulrich along the way. He was sitting on the steps outside the door and just glared at her when she walked up.

"What's the matter, Ulrich?" asked Yumi.

"Hmph," was Ulrich's reply.

"Oh, come on Ulrich! Nothing happened between me and William. Anyway, I turned him down." Ulrich perked up, his eyes wide.

"What? You mean—"

"Yes, he asked he out, and I told him no. Now, let's get something to eat. I'm starved!" Yumi grabbed Ulrich's hand and they went inside.

After they had finished preparing their lunches, Ulrich helped Yumi into her seat.

"Why, thank you, Ulrich," said Yumi with a smile.

Jeremie noticed this as he walked up to the table and asked,"What's going on, you two?"

"What?" said Ulrich. "Can't a guy demonstrate good manners in peace?"

Jeremie smirked. "Ulrich, you know as well as I do. That just isn't like you. What's really going on?"

"Oh, leave him alone, Jeremie," said Aelita firmly.

"Okay, okay," replied Jeremie, sitting down. "By the way, haven't you noticed that XANA has been quiet lately?

Odd jumped at the chance to make a joke. "Maybe he got fired!"

"Fired? Whatever do you mean, Odd?" said Ulrich, puzzled.

"Well, he has been sleeping on the job lately. His name is" Odd pretended to sleep. "'ZZZZZZZZZANA' isn't it?"

Aelita started to laugh and everyone joined in until Yumi interrupted.

"Has anyone seen William?"

William had been running for a long time, unsure of where he was going. Then he saw it. What the heck is that? he thought. He had come upon an old, abandoned factory. _I wonder why I never noticed this before. I'm gonna check it out, they won't miss me at school_. William walked cautiously across the bridge towards the factory doors. When he reached the factory's interior, he gasped. _Wow, this place is huge! I wonder what used to be here._ William began to explore his surroundings, taking a peek in every nook and cranny he could find. He noticed the elevator, but he figured that it didn't work, and that it was better not to try it. After some more exploring, William found a passageway that he hadn't noticed before. It led to a ladder that went down the wall through a hole in the floor. Curious, William decided that he absolutely had to check it out.

When lunch was over, everyone except for Yumi went to their class. Yumi didn't have a class this afternoon, so she walked around the grounds looking for William. She checked the track, the pool, the computer lab, the gym, anywhere on the grounds that she could think of. To her dismay, William was nowhere to be found. _What have I done?_ she thought. _It's my fault, he ran off because of me!_ Yumi tried hard not to cry as she sat down in a corner of the gym and covered her face with in her arms.


	4. Chapter 4

**Imprisoned II: Sacrifice**

**Chapter 4**

William could just stare in awe. _Man, I've really found quite something!_ By climbing down the ladder, he had come upon a large room with a single computer in it along with some sort of holographic map next to it. He noticed a chair. _Boy, I really need to sit down._ William sat down in the chair and it began to move. Startled, William leaped out of the chair and stared at it for a moment. He put his hand on the chair and nothing happened. _Huh! Must just be my imagination or something_. He sat back down and the chair began to move again, spooking William once more. This time, though, William stayed in the chair until it stopped in front of the large computer screen. _Wow, this thing is too cool. I wonder what kind of games I can play on this thing._ William pressed a button and the monitor turned on. An image flashed on the screen. "What the?" William couldn't understand all the code that was flashing on the screen. _What is this gibberish?_ William noticed a book on the floor. He picked it up and opened it to turn to a page about the virtualization program. William scratched his head as he tried to understand it all. He did understand a little, at least the parts about pressing certain keys on the keyboard. He tried a few of the commands in the book, but to no avail. Bored, he put the book down and got up to take a look around. He noticed the doors that lead the elevator. He headed toward them, opened them up and got into the elevator.

Yumi had been searching in the woods for a long while and she had even tried checking the Hermitage just in case. Nothing. School was just about over for the day, so she called up Jeremie. Jeremie answered on the third ring.

"Yumi," he said. "Any luck?"

"Nothing, William is nowhere to be found, and it's all my fault!"

"Don't say things like that."

"It's true, Jeremie. He wouldn't have run off if I hadn't turned him down."

"Mabye, but you still shouldn't beat yourself up over it. He'll be back in no time."

"You're right. I need to stop worrying so much. Still, I wonder where he's at."

William was getting even more confused. He had found a small room with three towers in it. _I wonder what these do?_ Then it hit him. These are the same towers from the book he found. _Oh, these must be those "scanner" things._ He was beginning to grasp the scope of it all. _I wonder what happens if a person is inside one of these when the program is running?_ Maybe I should try it and see. William made his way back to the computer room and was able, after much frustration, to enter a card of himself into the computer and get the scanner program running. He hurried back to the scanners and entered the one that he had activated. As he got inside, he noticed some sort of wind was blowing. To his surprise, he began to float upwards, while his body was spun around slowly. He then felt this weird sensation and everything went black.


	5. Chapter 5

**Imprisoned II: Sacrifice**

**Chapter 5**

William opened his eyes and took a quick glance around. He was about 15 feet in the air! He braced himself as he fell and he landed cleanly, feet first on the ground. _What is this place?_ He took a look around. He was in some sort of desert area. He took a look at himself. _What is this I'm wearing?_ He was wearing a dark blue outfit that looked somewhat like what an ancient Arabian bandit would wear. He found, to his delight, that he carried two long scimitar-like swords. Whoa. So he brought them out and began to swirl them around violently. Before he realized what happened, his noticed that hands and the swords disappeared. About 30 seconds later, everything because visible again. _I can turn invisible? Cool, but how do I control it?_

After much trial and error, William discovered that if he put the two scimitars together like an X, that he, along with his clothes and weapons, turned invisible. If he clanged the swords together as an X again, he became visible again. He couldn't see himself, but after playing with it a little bit, he figured it all out. _Wow, this place is amazing! I wonder if anyone else comes here._

Meanwhile, back at the school, Jeremie decided that today would be a great day for a mission to Sector Five. Everyone agreed and so they headed out to the factory. Once they got there, Jeremie noticed that something was amiss. "That's weird," he said, "I'm sure I left the manual right there, but it's gone."

"Here it is, Jeremie!" said Aelita.

"Good, I was getting a little worried-hey! Why is the chair here? I left it over there!"

"Hey, Einstein," said Odd. "You better get over here!"

"What, now, Odd? Huh? Why is the monitor on? And why is there a 5th character card there?"

Yumi gasped. "Jeremie," she said, "Someone's been here and they must have gone into Lyoko!"

"That's imposs—huh? That's weird. There is someone down there, in the Desert Region.

Ulrich came running in from the elevator. "Jeremie!" he panted, "someone used the scanner while we were gone!"

"You're right, Ulrich, there is someone in the Desert Region. But who?"

"We'd better check it out, and fast!" said Aelita with a hint of panic in her voice.

Jeremie took charge. "Okay, head to the scanners. I'll send in Ulrich and Yumi first."

Ulrich and Yumi stepped into the scanners, and Jeremie started up the process.

"Transfer Ulrich, transfer Yumi! Scanner Ulrich, scanner Yumi! Virtualization!"

William looked up just in time. He put his swords together and disappeared just before Ulrich and Yumi finished appearing.

"Jeremie," said Ulrich, "There's no one here!"

"What? There has to be," replied Jeremie. "He's right across from you by that far wall."

"Jeremie," said Yumi, "I don't see anything either. I wonder if this guy can turn invisible."

Jeremie scratched his head. "Yumi, you and Ulrich take a closer look at the area by that wall. I want to be sure it's safe before I send in Aelita and Odd."

William could hear Jeremie talking. _Is that Jeremie Belpois? Yumi? Ulrich? Is that really them? I don't believe it! The other two Jeremie mentioned, Odd and Aelita? Oh, it all makes sense now! This is the reason why Yumi and her friends always seem to be scheming or snooping around. They come to this place! But why? I'd better reveal myself to them so I can find out more._ William quietly touched his scimitars together and reappeared while neither Ulrich nor Yumi were facing him. "Yumi," he whispered, "It's me, William." Yumi wheeled around and gasped when she saw William standing there.


	6. Chapter 6

**Imprisoned II: Sacrifice**

**Chapter 6**

"William," said Yumi, still a little shocked by it all, "how did you get here?"

"I found this old factory and I found all this cool stuff. I somehow managed to get it all to work, and man is it cool!"

Ulrich sprinted up. "Hello, William," he said. "Fancy meeting you here."

"I think I understand it all now. This must be the place that you guys go to all the time when you are scheming or whatever it is you do here. What's the point of this place anyway?"

Jeremie chimed in. "Oh! It's just William. I wonder how he managed to run the program."

"I read that manual or whatever it is, stupid," chuckled William.

"Okay, whatever you did, we need to get you out of there. There's no telling what could happen. I'm starting up the materialization process, but it will take a little bit."

The computer started to beep, with an activated tower flashing on the screen. "Oh no!" said Jeremie, "that's what I was afraid of. XANA's attacking!"

"XANA?" asked William, bewildered. "Who's XANA?"

"Oh, nothing," said Ulrich with a smirk. "He's just a demonic artificial intelligence who wants to take over the world."

"That's why you come here, to fight some sort of virus?"

"No time to explain!" exclaimed Jeremie, "we need to deactivate the tower. I'm sending in Odd and Aelita."

Once Odd and Aelita were virtualized William had to stifle a laugh when he saw Odd.

"My goodness, Odd," said William with a snicker, "you look like a cat or something."

"Yeah, so?" replied Odd.

"It's just funny, that's all."

"Guys, we've got no time for this," said Jeremie hurriedly. "The activated tower is due north, but I don't have enough resources to provide your vehicles. I'll keep an eye out for XANA's monsters as you travel on foot.

"Monsters?" asked William.

"Yes," said Aelita. "XANA has several monsters that he sends to try and stop us from deactivating the tower, so we have to be careful, especially me, because if I lose all my life points, I'll disappear forever,"

"Life points? Disappear forever? Great," said William bluntly, "just what I needed today."

"Aelita is the only one who will disappear forever, just like she is the only one who can deactivate the tower."

"What," replied William, "is she special or something?"

"It's a long story," chimed in Jeremie. "Watch out XANA's sent several monsters."

"Ugh," groaned William, "what are those things?" He pointed at the two Tarantulas that were coming to meet them.

"Those are Tarantulas," said Yumi. "Be careful, as they are quite powerful and can drain all of your life points fast."

"How do we kill them?" asked William.

Odd spoke up. "You have to hit them at their weak spot. Hit them where that eye-like symbol is."

"I think I get it," said William. I'll take those roaches over there. He charged at the Kankrelots and made quick work of them with his blades.

"Nice," said Ulrich. "You learn fast."

Aelita hid behind a rock while the gang fought the monsters. William was able to take out the small weaklings, but always resorting to hiding from the stronger ones. He noticed Ulrich and Yumi struggling on the edge of a cliff. "Jeremie," said William, does anything in particular happen if they fall off the cliff?"

"Yes," replied Jeremie, "if they fall into the digital sea, they will be lost forever."

"I see, and we don't want this, right?"

"Right, so avoid it at all costs!"

William noticed that Ulrich was really struggling to fight the Tarantulas, especially since they were right on the edge of the cliff. Oh how William wanted for Ulrich to fall off the cliff and disappear, but he kept pushing the thought out of his mind. He knew that Yumi would be absolutely devastated if that were to happen. Yumi managed to flip herself away from the edge of the cliff, but Ulrich was still struggling while Odd continued to fight the swarm of hornets. Then William saw it. He saw a Mecha Tank rolling straight towards Ulrich, yet no one, not even Jeremie seemed to notice it. William froze, unsure of what to do as the Tank ominously approached. He then made up his mind. He wouldn't let Ulrich die, even if it meant losing his own life. He knew that Yumi cared for Ulrich more. He would do this for Yumi, no matter what the cost. Then, everything seemed to go in slow motion. No turning back now. He ran out in front of Tank, pushing Ulrich out of the way and taking the full impact of the collision. The force of the blow sent him tumbling over the edge, along with the Tank. He tried to grab at the edge, but he wasn't close enough to it. He began to realize that this was the end. He was falling, falling into the digital sea.


	7. Chapter 7

**Imprisoned II: Sacrifice**

**Chapter 7**

Yumi stared in disbelief as William disappeared into the sea. Once William was gone, she collapsed sobbing on the ground. Ulrich rushed over to comfort her, but she was hit by a laser and devirtualized before he could reach her.

Jeremie just stared at the screen, in shock at what just happened. "He sacrificed himself to save Ulrich," said Jeremie in a trembling voice. He sighed and refocused on the task at hand. "Guys, we need to deactivate this tower before—huh?" The tower had deactivated itself.

"Jeremie," said Aelita, "do you think it's a trick?"

"I don't know, but we can't be too careful. Odd, Ulrich, scan the area."

Ulrich quickly sprinted around. "Jeremie," he said. "We're in the clear. No monsters, no activated tower, nothing at all."

"XANA's attack must have failed," said Jeremie. "I'll materialize you guys out of there."

Odd, Aelita, and Ulrich all stepped out of the scanners and headed back to the computer room. They found Yumi huddled in a corner of the elevator.

"I can't believe he's gone," she said sadly. "He must have really cared for me, if he saved you like that."

Ulrich nodded, saying nothing. He reached out his hand and helped Yumi to her feet. Yumi hugged Ulrich tightly, putting her head on Ulrich's shoulder. Ulrich, surprised, gently hugged her back.

"It's okay, Yumi," he said. "I know you'll miss him, but there is nothing we can do about it."

"I know," replied Yumi. "I'm just glad that you are still alive." She looked Ulrich in the eye and smiled.

The elevator door opened and Jeremie rushed over from the computer. "Yumi," he said, "are you alright?"

"Yes, Jeremie," said Yumi quietly. "I'm fine. Yet, I don't know if I'll ever get over this."

"You'll have to find a way," said Aelita. "We don't want Mr. Delmas or Jim to find out about Lyoko as a result of this."

"Oh, I forgot about them. How are we going to explain William's absence?"

"We'll think of something," said Odd. "For now, let's get back to the cafeteria. It's spaghetti tonight." Odd winked and Yumi smiled.

"I'd better head home," she said. "It is getting late." The gang made their way into the elevator and closed the door.

William opened his eyes. _Huh? Where am I?_ He took a look around. _What is this place?_ William was still on Lyoko, but he didn't know it yet. _Is there where people go when they die?_ He noticed that he was lying on his back holding something in his hands. He glanced at his right hand. He was still holding his scimitar. _Huh? I'm still in this virtual world place? Or, is this where one goes when they fall into the digital sea?_ Nothing made sense anymore. William stood up and took a few steps forward. Smack! He ran smack dab into something, slamming his face and falling to the ground. "Oof! What the?" Rubbing his head, William stood up and gingerly took a step forward, holding his hands out in front of himself. They touched some sort of invisible wall. He took some sideways steps to his right, feeling the wall with his hands. After taking a couple of steps, William found a corner. The wall turned right by 90 degrees. William adjusted his position and began to feel along this new wall. After reaching several corners, William realized that he following the inner walls of some sort of invisible cube. _Great, I'm stuck in here. Now what?_ All of a sudden, William heard something snarl. He wheeled around. _Huh? What's that thing?_ It was Scipizoa, and it was making its way towards him. William backed up slowly as the Scipizoa approached.


	8. Chapter 8

**Imprisoned II: Sacrifice**

**Chapter 8**

Back at school, Ulrich, Odd and Aelita had all gathered in Jeremie's room. "We've gotta figure out a reason for William's absence. We don't want Mr. Delmas or Jim to find out about the Factory."

Odd had an idea. "I know! Why don't I just prepare a false letter from his parents saying that they are pulling him out of school because they are moving or something?"

"Good idea Odd," said Ulrich, "but, how are you gonna manage that?"

"The letter part is easy. For the second part, I'll need Jeremie's help."

"What do you mean Odd?" asked Jeremie.

"Remember how you made that program to distort your voice over the phone?"

"I think I know what you're planning."

Odd smiled and explained his idea. "First, I'll slip the letter into Mr. Delmas' office. Jeremie, you'll have to skip class in the morning and get to the factory. The letter will have the number for the computer at the factory. When Mr. Delmas calls, you'll use the voice distorter to trick him and make him believe that they are already on their way to another city. That way we won't have to worry about any of that paperwork stuff. It's foolproof!"

"Odd," said Aelita, "what if Mr. Delmas demands that William's parents come home and complete the paperwork?"

"Easy," said Jeremie. "I'll just have him mail the forms to a bogus address. The forms will eventually get returned to him, which should buy us some time."

Ulrich chimed in. "You're sure that will work, Odd? What about William's parents?"

"Oh, you're right," said Odd with a worried look on his face. "Well, he does board here at the school, so we should be okay, at least for a little while."

"What will we do after 'a little while' is over?" asked Ulrich.

"We'll think of something," said Jeremie, yawning. "Right now, we all need to get some sleep."

The Scipizoa stuck its tentacles trough the invisible box as if it wasn't there and roughly grabbed William by the waist and pulled him up and out of the box. William felt strange, and he was materialized out of Lyoko and back into the scanner room! But then, a specter followed him out of the scanner and it quickly possessed him. William, now controlled by XANA, entered back into a scanner and was virtualized back into Lyoko.

The next morning, Odd slipped the letter into the Principal's office while Jeremie headed for the Factory. While Jeremie was preparing for Mr. Delmas' call, he decided to make a scan of Lyoko. _That's weird_, he thought. _There is a large concentration of monsters in the Desert region. It looks to be in about the same place that we were in yesterday. I'd better take a closer look._ Just then Mr. Delma's called. Jeremie quickly switched the distorter to a random male adult's voice before answering and the call went off without a hitch. Mr. Delmas didn't bother with the required paperwork, since this had all happened to suddenly anyway. After Mr. Delmas hung up, Jeremie went took another look at the same area of the Desert region. There wasn't anything there now. _Weird, I could have sworn I just saw a lot of monsters there before Mr. Delmas called. Oh, well, looks like there is nothing to worry about. I'd better head back to school._ Just then, Jeremie heard a crash. _What was that? It sounded like that came from the scanner room!_ Jeremie rushed to the elevator and pressed the down button. When the elevator door reached the bottom and the door opened, Jeremie's jaw dropped. He was in shock at what was laid before his eyes.


	9. Chapter 9

**Imprisoned II: Sacrifice**

**Chapter 9**

Jeremie couldn't believe it. It was William, though he wasn't facing Jeremie. _How can that be_, thought Jeremie, _he fell into the digital sea!_ Jeremie heard a loud bang. What was that? It had come from inside one of the scanners. Jeremie glanced towards the scanner on the left, just in time to see it open, revealing a Mecha Tank! Jeremie gasped as the Tank made its way out, breaking the scanner in the process. William turned around. His eyes, which looked like XANA symbols, flashed a couple of times when he saw Jeremie. Jeremie turned and bolted for the elevator door as the now XANA-possessed William advanced towards him.

Back at school, Aelita was getting a little worried about Jeremie. "What's taking him so long? Shouldn't he be back by now?"

"Don't worry, Aelita," said Odd. "He'll be here in no time. It's not like XANA's attacking or anything."

"That's the thing, Odd. We don't know that for sure. Maybe we should check the computer in his room." Aelita stood up in her chair. "Mrs. Hertz?"

Mrs. Hertz stopped her lesson for a moment. "Aelita," she said. "Is anything wrong?"

"May I go to the infirmary? I don't feel very well."

"Why, yes, of course."

Odd and Ulrich stood up and said at the same time, "Can we take her?"

"Well, I don't think both of you need to go with her. Ulrich, you stay here. Odd, you can take her, just don't dilly dally."

Ulrich sat down and frowned as Odd escorted Aelita out of class.

"Okay, class, what was I saying? Oh, yes, I remember . . ."

Aelita and Odd didn't actually go to the infirmary, of course, they headed for Jeremie's room. "Do you really think XANA might actually be attacking?" asked Odd.

"Yes, I have a bad feeling that Jeremie is in trouble," replied Aelita worriedly.

"Well, well find out in a minute." Odd opened Jeremie's door and Aelita gasped. The computer was beeping and an activated tower was flashing on the screen.

Jeremie was indeed in trouble. Jeremie had managed to escape to the computer room, but it was short-lived. William managed make his way into the room before Jeremie could call for help. He now was holding holding Jeremie up in the air by his shirt. William smiled evilly as his hands began to glow. Jeremie began to shake as William shocked him. William then tossed Jeremie across the far wall, knocking him out cold. William then made his way back to the scanner room.

When he got there, XANA had managed to materialize one Tank, several Hornets, many Kankrelots, a Krabe, and last but not least, the Scipizoa into the real world while destroying two of the scanners in the process. Following XANA's orders, William opened the elevator door, letting in all of the smaller monsters first before entering himself. Once the elevator reached the top floor, William opened the door and let the Hornets and Kankrelots out and they made their way towards the school. William then made his way back down to the scanner room and let Tank in. Lather, rinse, repeat. William eventually was able to transport all of XANA's monsters to the top floor and send them towards Kadic Adademy. He then went back to the scanner room and XANA virtualized him back into Lyoko, where he found another legion of monsters near the activated tower. XANA didn't want to destroy the final scanner, as he needed it to transfer William back and forth between Lyoko and the real world, plus, he needed it just in case Aelita managed to escape the Scipizoa in the real world and get into the Lyoko. XANA had a created a second Scipizoa, which was the one he sent into the real world. XANA was ready, and William was going to lead XANA's monsters if any of those pesky kids managed to enter Lyoko. XANA was ready; nothing would stop him from getting Aelita's memory this time.


	10. Chapter 10

**Imprisoned II: Sacrifice**

**Chapter 10**

Yumi's cell phone vibrated in her pocket, taking her attention of the teacher's lesson. A message from Aelita flashed on the screen. _'SOS XANA?' Oh man, not now!_ Yumi raised her hand to get the teacher's attention.

"Yumi," he said, "is something wrong?"

"Sir, I don't feel well, may I go to the nurse's office?"

"Why, yes, Yumi. Go right ahead."

"Thank you, sir!" Yumi bolted out the door, causing papers to scatter when she slammed the door shut. She dialed up Ulrich's cell.

"Yumi," he answered, "if this is about Aelita's message, I'm already on my way."

"Okay, I'll meet you in the courtyard. Is Odd with you?"

"No, but he had gone with Aelita to Jeremie's room earlier. He's probably still with her."

"Alright, I'll give him a call, just in case."

"Good thinking, see you in a couple of minutes." Ulrich hung up, and Yumi dialed Odd's number.

"Yumi," he answered, "I'm with Aelita. We're already in the forest. Meet us at the factory as soon as possible."

"Okay, got it. Be careful, you hear?"

"Don't you worry, we'll be fine."

"Okay, see ya. Yumi hung up as she reached the courtyard. Ulrich was already waiting for her. She could she him standing over by the woods. She waved at him and Ulrich waved back, motioning for her to hurry. Once Yumi reached him, they sprinted together into the woods.

Jeremie came to, and shakily got to his feet. He was still groggy from hitting his head against the wall. _Ooh. What happened?_ Then he remembered. William was still alive and had been possessed by XANA and to make matters worse, XANA had materialized at least one Mecha Tank into the real world. _I'd better call the others._ He dialed stepped up to the computer and dialed Aelita's cell. No answer. "Come on," he said with must frustration in his voice, "answer, Aelita! Please!" After several rings, Jeremie gave up. _Oh no_, he thought, _something is wrong. It's not like Aelita to not answer her cell phone._

Something was indeed wrong. Odd and Aelita had encountered the monsters that XANA had materialized! They were surrounded. Several Kankrelots had encircled the two of them while a Krabe and two of Hornets were quickly approaching.

"Aelita," said Odd, "run! I'll try and hold them off." Odd noticed a long sharp stick lying on the ground. He quickly picked it up and before the Kankrelots could react, he stabbed a couple of them with the pointed end. "Yah! Take that, roachie boys!" Aelita, seeing her chance, bolted towards the factory as the monsters closed in on Odd. She had been running for only about 10 seconds, when she heard a familiar snarl. Aelita froze and slowly turned around. She gasped when she saw the Scipizoa come out from behind a tree. Instinctively, she screamed for Odd. "Odd! Help me!"

Ulrich, put up his hand, signaling for Yumi to stop. "Yumi," he said quietly, "did you hear that?"

"Hear what?" answered Yumi, puzzled.

"It sounded like someone screaming for Odd." Ulrich then realized who it was. "Aelita! She must be in trouble!"

"Uh, Ulrich?"

"Yeah?"

"What's that over there?"

"Where?"

"There, something's moving over in those bushes to your right."

"I don't see anything." Ulrich squinted, trying to focus on the bushes. Then, all of a sudden, a Kankrelot popped out of the bushes.

"Ulrich—" said Yumi, grabbing Ulrich's arm and turning him to face her.

Ulrich put a finger hand on Yumi's lips, signaling her to keep silent. Then he whispered, "I don't think it's seen us yet. If we're careful, we might be able to avoid it."

"Out of the question," said Yumi, eyes wide.

"What do you mean?" Ulrich noticed that Yumi was looking past him.

"Behind you," Yumi whispered. Ulrich turned around slowly. Yumi grabbed his hand tightly. A large metal ball was rolling quickly in their direction.


	11. Chapter 11

**Imprisoned II: Sacrifice**

**Chapter 11**

Odd had heard Aelita's scream, yet he was struggling to get away from the Kankrelots. _Man,_ he thought, _this would be so much easier if I had my arrows!_ He stabbed the last Kankrelot, and with one swift stroke, he knocked the two Hornet's out of the sky, stunning them. He began to run in the direction of Aelita's cries for help when he felt a sharp pain on the lower part of his left leg. He dropped on one knee, realizing that he had forgotten about the final monster. _Darn Krabe, I forgot about him._ Odd jumped up and quickly climbed a tree. It felt like he was actually in Lyoko, since it was so easy. He positioned himself in the branches, and once the vile machine was in range, we threw the stick like a javelin, sticking the Krabe in its weak spot. The Krabe crumbled to the ground as Odd descended from his perch. He grabbed his weapon and sprinted in Aelita's direction.

Ulrich and Yumi had taken cover under some bushes, but the Tank had already seen them. It rolled in their direction with the intention of crushing the pesky kids, but they rolled out of the way just before they were run over. Ulrich grabbed Yumi's hand and they bolted in the direction of the sewer lid. Just before they reached it, the Tank had fired its powerful laser at them. Fortunately, since the laser is rather loud, Ulrich and Yumi just managed to leap out of the way before it reached them. Ulrich began to toss large rocks at the Tank's large eye, but to no avail, they weren't hitting the weak spot hard enough. Ulrich noticed that Yumi was slinking off to the tool shed, so he kept the Tank distracted by continuously throwing rocks at it from behind large boulder. Yumi safely reached the shed and found that it was unlocked. For some reason there was a javelin in the shed. _Maybe Jim thinks these are too dangerous to have in the over in the shed by the track._ Yumi smiled, grabbed the javelin and bolted bravely back outside. "Yaaaah!" Yumi threw the javelin at the Tank with all her might. The Tank swiveled and the javelin struck it square in the eye. The Tank stopped in its tracks and went no further. Yumi pulled Ulrich to his feet. "Hurry," she said. "I think Odd and Aelita are in trouble!"

When Odd reached Aelita, the Scipizoa had already taken hold of Aelita and it appeared to be getting ready to begin taking Aelita's memory. Odd set his jaw and charged at the Scipizoa, waving his stick wildly. Then, all of a sudden, several Hornets descended from in the trees, surrounding Odd. _Oh, great,_ he thought. _XANA's thought of everything._ There were so many of them! Odd counted about 15 of them. He swung his stick around, taking out a few of them, but the rest kept on coming. Odd struggled to stave them off, but these ones seemed very determined, each of them closing in for the kill. Odd fell to the ground and lost his handle on the stick he was wielding. Seeing an opening, Odd rolled to his right, hoping to lose the monsters. _Rats._ He had been tricked; there were more Kankrelots in the small clearing he had rolled into. Odd cringed as the roaches prepared to fire. _Huh?_ One of the Kankrelots exploded, distracting the other 5. Ulrich emerged from behind a tree, holding a familiar weapon. It was the gun Jim had used back when XANA had materialized several Kankrelots into the real world. Ulrich quickly blasted the roaches and the Hornets. "Ulrich," said Odd, relieved. "Man, am I glad to see you! Where's Yumi? Aelita's in trouble!"

"Right here, Odd," said Aelita. Odd turned around.

"Yumi," he said, "how did you manage to stop the Scipizoa?" Yumi pointed to the Scipizoa. There it was lying on the ground, a javelin through its head. "Oh," said Odd. Yumi smiled, but quickly turned serious.

"Guys," she said, "we've gotta get to the factory, Jeremie might be in trouble!"


	12. Chapter 12

**Imprisoned II: Sacrifice**

**Chapter 12**

Jeremie breathed a sigh of relief when the Elevator opened and his four friends came running in.

"Jeremie," said Aelita, "are you alright?"

"For the most part," Jeremie replied, "but don't worry about me. We've got a larger problem on our hands. William is still alive!"

Yumi gasped. "What? How could that be?"

"I don't know, but he's under XANA's control. XANA may have saved him somehow. Remember how the tower deactivated itself after William fell into the sea?"

"Yes," said Aelita, "but I don't understand why XANA would save him just to posses him."

"XANA must have something in mind that we don't. Before William attacked me, I did see that XANA had materialized some monsters."

"Yeah, we know," interrupted Odd, "we had fun playing with them before we got here. Especially Aelita. She got to play with the Scipizoa."

"The Scipizoa? Why would XANA materialize the Scipizoa? That would give Aelita a free pass in Lyoko."

"I don't know Jeremie," said Aelita, "but we mustn't waste time trying to figure out why he did. We've got to save William!"

"Just one question," said Ulrich. "Where is William? Wouldn't he be coming after Aelita?"

"Normally he would," said Jeremie, "but it appears that XANA has other plans. Get to the scanner room. There is only one working tower left, so I'll send you all in one at a time."

"Why didn't XANA just destroy the last scanner?" asked Yumi.

"He must need it for William. Now, hurry!"

The gang made their way to the scanners. "Okay," said Jeremie, "I'm sending in Ulrich first to scout the area." Ulrich stepped into the scanner. "Virtualization!"

Ulrich landed cleanly and took a look around. He could see the tower way off in the distance. "All clear, Jeremie," he said.

"All right, I'll send Yumi, then Odd, then Aelita."

Once all four of them were together in Lyoko, Jeremie brought up their vehicles and they made their way towards the tower. They were almost there when Jeremie alerted them.

"Watch out! There are several monsters headed your way." Odd and Ulrich got off their vehicles, preparing for the coming attack.

"Huh? What's that?" said Yumi, squinting. She gasped when she realized. "It's William!"

William was leading the monsters towards the four friends. He slowed down and turned invisible as the monsters passed him.

"Aelita," said Ulrich, "take cover. Don't come out until we tell you." Aelita ran southwest towards a large boulder and William made his way after her. She wouldn't get away that easily.

"Laser arrow!" Odd fired several arrows at some approaching Blocks, taking out a couple of them. Ulrich triplicated himself and ran towards a Tarantula. He triangulated himself and easily did away with it. Yumi flew after the Hornets, taking several out with one of fans. These monsters were a piece of cake compared to the ones they had faced in the real world.

Aelita made it to the boulder, unaware of William's presence. She crouched down behind the rock and watched Yumi, Ulrich and Odd battle the monsters. William, still invisible, crept up behind her and grabbed her, putting his now visible hand over mouth. He turned her head to the right and Aelita's eyes widened in horror. It was the Scipizoa.


	13. Chapter 13

**Imprisoned II: Sacrifice**

**Chapter 13**

Aelita struggled to free herself from William's grip. But it was no use. William was much stronger, now that he was controlled by XANA. The Scipizoa quietly snarled as it slowly approached Aelita and William. Aelita wanted to scream, but she couldn't with William covering her mouth. She continued to squirm.

"Hold still," said William fiercely in a digitized voice.

Aelita managed to free her mouth. "No!" Aelita sunk her teeth into William's hand. He growled as he loosened his grip on her. Aelita quickly freed herself and ran as fast as she could towards the tower.

Odd happened to be looking in that direction and noticed Aelita scrambling towards them. "Aelita," he yelled, "you're crazy! Go back before it's too late!"

Aelita didn't answer, and she didn't need too, as Odd could now see the Scipizoa and William chasing after her. He fired a couple of arrows at the Scipizoa, and they barely missed William's head. William ducked, shaking his fist at Odd. The arrows missed their target. _Darn,_ thought Odd. He called for Ulrich, who was still fighting off another Tarantula. "Ulrich! Aelita's in trouble, hurry!" Odd flew down towards William and William turned invisible. "Huh? So that's how you wanna play, eh? Fine, be a coward XANA!"

William growled and lurched himself towards Odd, slashing him with his scimitar. Odd was devirtualized. _Rats,_ he thought as he exited the scanner. He made his way to the computer room.

Back on Lyoko, Yumi had just finished off the last of the Hornets, leaving only a Taruntula, William, and Scipizoa. She flew towards Aelita. She tossed her fan at the Scipizoa, but it suddenlt stopped in mid-air. William appeared, holding Yumi's fan. He sneered and threw it back in Yumi's direction. He missed, instead striking Yumi's Overwing. Yumi fell to the ground. Her second fan was nowhere in sight. Then, everything went black.

Ulrich finally defeated the Taruntula and glanced over just in time to see Yumi devirtualized. "Oh, no," he said. "Yumi!" He gritted his teeth and sprinted over towards where Yumi had just been. William appeared and tossed a scimitar at Ulrich. Ulrich just smiled and caught it. William just growled and charged at Ulrich. A vicious battle ensued. Ulrich easily blocked blow after blow, but he couldn't manage to fend William off. William just kept the blows coming, and Ulrich was forced to back up to the edge of the plateau. Then, with a swift stroke, William managed to knock the scimitar from Ulrich's grip and sent it tumbling over the edge.

Aelita was now hiding inside a small cave, hoping that the Scipizoa wouldn't find her. She shivered as it approached the opening to the cave. "Jeremie," she whispered, "help!"

"I'm doing all I can, Aelita," said Jeremie. "Odd and Yumi have both been devirtualized and William has managed to distract Ulrich for the moment. You've got to think of something!"

Ulrich and William continued to battle furiously. Ulrich had managed to escape from the edge, but he no longer had the advantage of the extra weapon, and William mercilessly kept the hits coming.

"Heh," taunted William. "You don't give up, do you? Don't you know when you've lost?"

"It's not over yet," replied Ulrich.

"Oh, but it is, but not necessarily for you."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Ulrich grunted as he blocked another blow. William just snickered.

"Well?"

"Take a look." William paused and pointed.

Ulrich, unfazed, gave William a look that said 'I'm-not-falling-for-that-one.'

"What, you don't trust me? I'm hurt," said William.

Ulrich rolled his eyes and turned around. His eyes widened when he saw it. The Scipizoa had Aelita! He then felt a sharp pain in his back and darkness closed in around him.


	14. Chapter 14

**Imprisoned II: Sacrifice**

**Chapter 14**

"Aelita, NO!" cried Jeremie as the number indicating how much of Aelita's memory remained flashed on the screen. He put his hands on his head, frantically trying to think of something to do. He made up his mind. He was going go to go into Lyoko. He quickly started up the program and rushed into a scanner.

Jeremie had been in Lyoko before, but not like this. He landed a few feet behind William. Before William realized what happened, Jeremie shot several darts and William was devirtualized. Jeremie rushed towards the Scipizoa, praying that he wasn't too late. He fired all the rest of his darts at the vile thing, striking several times on its head. It dropped Aelita and backed off, but Aelita didn't get up. Jeremie rushed to her side, but she disappeared! _Huh?_ He felt a hand on his shoulder.

"It's okay, Jeremie," said Aelita. "I'm alright."

Jeremie smiled. "A decoy?"

"Yes, you told me to think of something, so I did."

"You'd better go and deactivate the tower."

Aelita ran over to the tower and entered it. She floated to the top, flipping over once when she reached the top. She put her hand on the interface and entered the code.

"Tower deactivated," she said, putting her head down.

She exited the tower and met Jeremie outside. Jeremie called for their three friends and Odd answered.

"Jeremie! Is everything okay?"

"We're fine, Odd. We need to return the past; I'll tell you how to do it from here."

Jeremie expained the process to Odd and the return was started.

"Return to the past now," said Odd. _Cool, I've always wanted to say that._

William woke up. He was in the scanner room and he could see a bright sphere of light coming towards him.

The return was successful and Yumi found herself walking up the vending machines once again. She noticed that William was staring at her like before. She blushed as he walked towards her.

"Hi, Yumi," he said. "Where are your friends?"

_Good,_ she thought. _He doesn't remember._ "They're not here yet. They will be soon though."

"Good, I wanted to talk to you . . . ."

The End 


End file.
